Lawrence Shankland is one of the hottest properties in Scottish football after his ongoing goal-scoring exploits. The striker has carried on from where he left at Ayr United as he has already got 15 goals to his name for Dundee United this season. Reports (The Scottish Sun) emerged that both the Old Firm clubs were keeping track of him. We believe that Celtic desperately need to add more firepower upfront and they could go after a striker in January.
Dundee United chief on Shankland’s future
However, that striker is unlikely to be Shankland as Dundee United’s chief Tony Asghar has claimed that they will reject any January interest for their prized forward. On whether the club will listen to offers for Shankland in January, Asghar said, ”I don’t think there’s any price you could name for us to sell Lawrence Shankland and then not give ourselves the best chance of promotion. The owners were clear when Lawrence arrived in the summer. He’s a key part of what we are trying to do, so I don’t expect any chats like this come January.”
”This club has a history of selling players at the wrong time, but Lawrence has committed to us for three years. The owners have invested a lot of money.”
With Dundee United fighting for promotion, it was always going to be tough ask to get him midway through the season as Shankland is arguably their best player.
Why does Celtic need to go for a striker in January?
The season is still in its nascent stage, but Celtic seem to be short on firepower upfront. Odsonne Edouard is the only reliable option to lead the line. With Celtic competing on various fronts and in Europe, Lennon will need someone to take some burden off the Frenchman.
Leigh Griffiths season has been marred with injuries. The experienced ace is making a comeback this season after taking some time off football due to personal issues. It remains to be seen now whether Griffiths will rediscover his old form. But as things stand, he has looked rusty, and Lennon must be hoping every game that Edouard comes out without any injury trouble. Vakoun Issouf Bayo is another alternative, but he is untested and needs a bit more time to settle in.
What now for Lennon?
Shankland would have been a decent backup option for Lennon in January, but United are putting up a firm stance over him. If Celtic want they can probably blow away Dundee with a gigantic offer, but we think that it is highly unlikely to happen. Therefore, Lennon must look at other options in January now.
